Welcome to the BRAWL World
by PKFlash
Summary: Lucas joins Brawl and quickly learns that things are not what they seem. Pretty dark themed. NessxLucas.
1. The End?

Lucas wasn't sure how it happened.

After letting his brother die, pulling the final needle and watching the world turn itself inside-out, the only thing he wanted to do was plop down on his cot in Tazmily and fall into a deep, undisturbed sleep. He felt like one adventure would be enough to last him a lifetime. He didn't need another.

And yet, just when he thought peace had been achieved, everything went dark. Not like the darkness of night, either; it was so dark he couldn't see his own hands, and for a moment he wondered if he'd gone blind.

Then, a blue light appeared in the distance. Out of it emerged a giant white hand, like a glove. It grabbed Lucas. The next moment, he was being swirled into the depths of space and time. He felt as if his body was being stretched into a thin line, and then passed out.

When Lucas came to, he was sprawled out on a cold metal floor. The room was dark, illuminated only by the presence of a brilliant blue being that resembled a human with a butterfly's wings.

"Welcome," the being said, "to Brawl."

Lucas squinted his eyes at the bright figure. "Wh-where am I?"

"Neither here nor there," the being replied. "This is simply the place Characters go when they have completed a Game."

Lucas looked around confusedly. "Heaven?"

"Something like that. In this world, you can't die. If you get hurt too much, you'll come back fully revived. You don't even need to eat. You don't age. Simply put, you're immortal."

Lucas gave a nervous smile. "Really?"

The blue being floated down to Lucas' level. "That's right. All you need to do is make a contract with me." He extended his hand so that Lucas could shake it.

Lucas eyed the blue hand nervously.

"You can refuse, of course, and I'll simply send you right back to the sinful world from which you came."

Lucas reached out his right hand. After careful consideration, he said, "Okay. I'll do it." He took the blue being's hand and shook it. Instantly, something white hot erupted on his hand and he yelped out in surprise.

"Ouch!"

"Enjoy your stay." The blue being lifted itself into the air and disappeared.

Lucas looked at his right hand. It now bore the words:

PROPERTY OF NINTENDO

Lucas frowned and looked around at the now empty room. He found a door, yanked it open, and went outside.

What greeted him outside was a handsomely decorated room, with an expensive looking carpet covering the ground and fine art lining the walls. Seated in a handsome mahogany desk was a man dressed like a butler.

He spotted Lucas. "Ah, welcome." He looked down at a long roll of paper. "Lucas, is it? I'm the administrator."

"Hullo." Lucas said nervously.

The man smiled tenderly. "Welcome to Brawl. Now, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so here your keys. Your roommate will explain everything to you."

Lucas received a small golden key with the number 027 engraved on it. "Thank you," he said.

"No need. Now, your rooms are over on the left hand side," the man said, indicating two large double doors. "I'll be off now. Good luck."

Lucas stood still for a moment, completely bewildered. Everthing was happening so fast. After a moment he decided just to deal with it, and he went through the double doors.

The hallways were completely empty and quiet. He looked around at the doors leading to each room. They reminded him of Yado Inn, only much fancier yet at the same time, much lonelier. Proceeding down the hall, he took two lefts and found himself in a narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor was his room, 027. He turned the lock and stepped inside.

The room was also handsomely furnished. There were two beds on each side of the room. One was well made, empty and clean. Lucas assumed that was his own. The other was messy, and had various objects lying around it. Among them were a pink baseball cap, a bat that said "Gutsy" on it, and a black T-shirt with Mr. Saturn on it.

"Hey!" Lucas exclaimed, "I know what this is!" He lifted up the shirt and looked at it closely. Sure enough, it was the same creature with the strange dialect of Saturn Valley.

Lucas almost felt at home when the door opened. He spun around. Standing in the door frame was a boy about his height. He had black hair, a red baseball cap, a striped shirt and denim shorts.

Lucas quickly put down the shirt. "Hi," he said.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm- I'm Lucas."

"Right." The boy walked over to his own bed and sat down, shoving Lucas roughly aside. Then, he took out two golden stars from his pocket and held them in his right hand.

"What's that?" Lucas asked.

The boy ignored him, closing his hand around the two stars. Lucas noticed that they also had PROPERTY OF NINTENDO written on them. The stars lit up, and then disappeared.

Lucas' jaw dropped.

The boy looked up. He was smiling now, and looked a whole deal happier than before.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Ness. You're new here, I take it? Where did you come from?"

Lucas was completely taken aback by Ness' change in attitude. "I came from… Tazmily. That's on nowhere islands."

"I'm from Onett. Eagleland."

Lucas gulped, looking back down at Ness' right hand.

"Oh this?" Ness asked, indicating his empty right hand, "those were stars. You get one whenever you kill someone."

"I thought… no one could die in this world," Lucas said, frightened.

Ness laughed. "Of course not: they come right back. I should have said knock out or something. Anyways, when you knock out someone, you get their star. That's the basically the system."

"And what do you do? With the stars, I mean."

"You absorb them," Ness said, opening and closing his right hand.

Lucas stared for a moment. Ness grinned. "If you don't, you quickly become cold, angry, and completely depressed. And then…"

Lucas knew exactly what Ness was going to say. His face paled in realization that this was not heaven, or anything remotely close to what he thought it was.

"You die for real."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Review if you want more :)**


	2. Unfamiliar Things

"But- but," Lucas stammered. "That blue thing. The butterfly. He said that this would be a good place."

Ness laughed hollowly. "Oh him? We call him Tabuu. And he's nothing but a rotten cheat. Ever notice how he told you nothing about the contract, before you took it?"

Lucas shook his head.

"We're nothing but entertainment to that bastard. He watches us fight for survival and laughs at our failures."

"What does he really want, though?"

Ness shrugged. "No one really knows. All I know is that the amusement only gets better for him. The weak people are the first to die off, and soon only the most brutal brawlers are left. It must be part of his little game. We're just his playthings."

"That's terrible." Lucas suddenly felt shrouded by a feeling of homesickness.

Ness let out a deep sigh. "I might get killed too, sometime," he said.

Lucas' eyes widened. "What? No way!"

"It used to be easier to get stars. But now all the easy opponents have already died, and only the hard ones are left." Ness lay down and stared at the ceiling mournfully.

Lucas walked over to Ness' bed and sat down. He grabbed Ness' hand, which sort of surprised him.

"Lucas?"

"You'll be fine, I'm sure. If we work together, I'm sure we can find a way out of this mess," Lucas said earnestly.

Lucas had a fierce determination in his eyes that Ness couldn't break; no matter how much he wanted to tell Lucas that it was completely hopeless.

Ness held Lucas' hand tightly and smiled.

"You're sweet."

Lucas blushed.

"Hey Lucas," Ness began, "want to be friends?"

"Um… that's a weird thing to ask."

Ness shrugged. "I dunno. I've never really had a friend here. Ever."

"But you seem like a really nice guy."

"Maybe that's why I don't have any friends."

Lucas looked at him confusedly.

"Well, I'm tired," Ness said, undressing. "You should probably get some rest too. I bet you just had a huge adventure, eh?"

Lucas nodded, realizing exactly how tired he was. He wanted to tell Ness that he'd be his friend, but Ness was already fast asleep. So Lucas climbed into his own bed, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep almost immediately.

"Lucas."

It was morning.

"Lucas, wake up."

Lucas opened his eyes and saw Ness face staring down at him. "Nnn- what time is it?"

"Almost eight. C'mon, we have to get ready."

"Ready for what?"

Ness rolled his eyes. "To fight, obviously. What else are we here for?"

Lucas had almost forgotten the predicament he was in. He dreamed he was back in Tazmily, and for a moment he thought he actually was. He'd fought enough in his short lifetime, and didn't expect to have to do any more.

"Oh… right."

Ness was already dressed and ready to go, putting on his shoes and socks. Lucas simply sat in bed, dumbfounded. Not knowing what to do, he got dressed and just followed whatever Ness was doing.

They were about to leave the room, when Ness turned around to do a final check.

"Okay. Ready?"

Lucas nodded. He was definitely not ready.

"Got your weapon?"

Lucas reached into his inventory. All he had was a flimsy wooden stick and Duster's rope snake, which was fast asleep. Next to Ness' solid bat and yo-yo, it looked rather pathetic.

"Alright, let's go."

They went into the corridor and started walking. There was a lot more activity than when Lucas had arrived yesterday. Everywhere people were preparing for fights, checking weapons, armour, and whatnot. They passed a few swordsmen, a few funny looking creatures, and what appeared to be a robot. All of them looked serious and unsmiling.

The atmosphere was heavy and Lucas began to feel nervous. Some of the brawlers eyed him suspiciously, having never seen his face before. Lucas drew himself closer to Ness and clutched his arm.

"Relax, Lucas. You'll be fine."

Lucas wasn't so sure. They crossed the beautiful room where the administrator was, and opened a set of steel double doors.

What greeted them on the other side was a huge room several stories high and just as wide. There were seats, tables, and sofas in the middle, some of which were occupied by chatting brawlers. A sky window on the ceiling lit the entire room with sunshine.

On one side of the room was a huge display that displayed several names on neat rows. Directly below it stood four vertical tubes, each of which, Lucas guessed, could admit one person inside.

Ness and Lucas sat down at a table. "Now we wait," Ness said.

The P.A. System went off: "Free for All. Marth, Ike, Mario, Luigi." Those same names were displayed on the huge electronic display. Four people went up to the tubes, opened them, and stepped inside. There was a rushing sound, and they were gone.

A few minutes passed in silence. Lucas sat as close to Ness as possible, trying to find at least a little bit of comfort. It wasn't working. And then: "Free for all. Ness, Olimar."

Ness got up. "That's me. See, when they call you, you just walk into one of those tubes, okay?"

Lucas nodded.

"Wish me luck."

"G-good luck," Lucas said.

Ness stared at Lucas for a moment. He was pale and trembling.

"Ness…," Lucas started, "how do I fight?"

Ness raised his eyebrows. "How did you fight in your world?"

The P.A. went off again: "Free for all. Ness, Olimar. Awaiting Ness in tube 2."

"Listen, I got to go. Just do whatever you always do."

Lucas did his best to nod. Ness turned around, entered one of the tubes, and gave Lucas a cheery wave before closing it shut.

With Ness gone, Lucas suddenly felt very alone. He looked around, only to see people bustling about. Some of them looked at him curiously, but they didn't linger too long. They all seemed to be in a hurry.

The P.A. called out several more times. The corresponding brawlers left the room through the tubes. At the same time, some people were returning from battles through a set of doors on the opposite side of the room. They all looked worn-out, some triumphant, some downhearted.

A fat man with a yellow outfit and purple overalls approached Lucas. He had an enormous mouth that reeked of something nasty, and a cap with the letter "W" on it.

"Why hello there, little child." The fat man sat down beside Lucas.

Lucas put on a wry smile, but couldn't stop trembling."H-hi."

The fat man sat down. "Never seen your face before."

"I'm new," Lucas said.

"Ahhhh. My name's Wario."

"Lucas."

"Lucas, is it?" Wario leaned in closer for a better view. Lucas could smell his horrible breath, and tried his best not to lean back.

"You know," Wario began, "you're pretty cute. And I gotta say, there aren't many girls around here."

Lucas opened his mouth to protest, buy closed it shut. Instead, he looked around nervously, searching for Ness. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. It looked like help wasn't an option.

"Umm…"

Wario put a huge hand under Lucas' chin and tilted it up.

"You smell really good."

Lucas wanted to scream and push Wario away, but he couldn't muster the courage to do so. He was really close. Lucas could make out all the little hairs on his face…

The P.A. System went off. "Free for all. Lucas, Falco."

Lucas got up almost immediately. "I have to go."

Wario backed off. "Aw, that's too bad. Heh heh. Well, I'll see you when you're done." He smiled an almost evil smile.

Lucas walked away from Wario as fast as he could, sweating at the hairline and breathing heavily. He wanted to cry.

Walking up the one of the tubes, he struggled to yank it open and stepped inside. As he closed the tube, he caught a glimpse of Wario's fat face smiling at him.

The tube was completely dark on the inside, except for a tiny display on the top that read: Lucas. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled by a familiar sensation. It was the same feeling he experienced when being transported into this world. Around him, space and time whizzed pass, and he felt himself being drawn out into a wire.

A voice rang in his ears: "Lucas versus Falco. Five stock. Stage: Battlefield."

The sensation dissipated, and Lucas found himself riding a Mr. Saturn coffee table into a large, well lit area. It was a floating island that resembled something like a courtyard, decorated on one side with ancient ruins. Three platforms floated mystically in the air. But the most unsettling part was the huge audience on one side of the stage. There had to be tens of thousands of people in those bleachers, all cheering, yelling, screaming.

Dreadful feelings filled Lucas as a powerful voice boomed across the stage.

"Three! Two! One!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm not sure what that thing Lucas rides is called xD. I know some people call it Mr Saturn's walking tea table, but that doesn't flow well :\. Sue me. **


	3. Fights

"GO!"

Lucas just stood there as his opponent, Falco, rushed towards him.

"Wait, I-" Lucas began.

Two shots fired from Falco's handgun, connecting with Lucas' chest. The blows knocked him off his feet.

Before he fell onto the floor, Falco grabbed him by the Collar and flung Lucas into the air, shooting him in the meantime. Then, the bird joined him in the air and gave him a great kick to the stomach.

Lucas slammed into the ground. The pain was immense. The crowd, meanwhile, was mad with excitement. "FALCO! FALCO! FALCO!"

Lucas could see Falco ready to pounce on him from above. The sun turned the bird into a dark silhouette with glinting eyes. Lucas hid his face with his arms and closed his eyes shut. He wanted to see his mother, or his brother, or his friends. He wanted to see Ness. Ness lied; he wouldn't be fine. He wanted to go home.

Falco's foot twisted into Lucas' stomach, making him lurch. Then, in one swift flow, Lucas was flung off the stage. He flew through the air while the crowd yelled and cheered.

Then, everything went black for a second. He saw five big spheres. One of the spheres shattered.

Then, he was transported back onto the stage on a glowing platform, where Falco was waiting for him.

The fight, if it can be called a fight, continued on for another ten minutes. Falco relentlessly threw expertly aimed attacks at Lucas, who could do nothing but cower and try and defend himself.

Eventually the crowd was booing him. "BOO LUCAS. BOO LUCAS. BOO LUCAS." He wanted to cry.

Finally, he was thrown into darkness again. The last of his five spheres shattered.

"GAME!"

And then Lucas experienced the all too familiar feeling of being transported from one place in space-time to another. When he landed on solid ground, he was in a small room with washroom facilities, a shower, a sauna, and several benches.

Falco was also there.

"You really suck, kid." He went to a receptacle on the wall. Five shimmering stars were there. Falco put them in his pocket, laughing. "Oh well. All the better for me, loser." He exited the room, leaving Lucas all alone.

Lucas sat down on a bench, shaking. He drew his knees up to his chest and started sobbing silently, rubbing his eyes occasionally. Eventually, he mustered what little remaining strength he had and stepped out of the room, back into the main atrium.

Ness was waiting for him there. Wario was nowhere to be seen. Lucas let out a sigh of relief.

"Lucas!" he rushed over to where Lucas was standing, puffy eyed and shaking. "…no good, huh?"

Ness put an arm over Lucas' shoulders and lead him to a couch, where they sat down. Immediately, Lucas put his arms around Ness and unsuccessfully tried to hold back tears.

"Aw, Lucas…" Ness patted Lucas on the back and tried comforting him. There was something so irresistibly cute about the boy that made Ness attached to him.

"Why do I have to fight?"

Ness looked at him soberly. "It's just the way it is."

The image of Lucas holding onto Ness like a crybaby attracted the attention of the other Brawlers, who were all manly and cold.

Falco passed them. "Hey Ness, your new partner's a weakling and a gaylord. He'll be dead in a week."

Ness threw him a cold glare. "Go fuck yourself, moron."

Falco just laughed and walked away.

"He's… he's probably right," Lucas said, letting go of Ness. "I can't fight. I just can't."

"Yes you can. Did you do what I told you to do? Did you fight like you normally did?"

Lucas shook his head.

"You gotta try, Lucas. I bet in your world you were one of the most powerful people around."

Lucas looked at his hands. That much was true. He could nail chimeras using 16-hit combos with his stick. He could wipe out pigmasks by the dozen with his PSI. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it here.

"I've got an idea," Ness said. He took Lucas' hand and marched him to the administrator's room. The butler-like man was sitting at his desk as usual, clacking away on a keyboard.

"Um, excuse me," Ness began. The administrator looked up at Ness over the top of his glasses.

"I'd like to request something. A fight. A one-on-one between Lucas and me."

"You can't normally do that," the administrator replied.

"I know, but please? It's not fair that he had to join Brawl at a time when all the strong people are left. He needs practice. Let me teach him."

The administrator stared at the two of them with raised eyebrows.

"Very well, then." He typed something on his keyboard and then looked back at them. "You're on in three."

Ness smiled at him, and then returned to the atrium with Lucas. They waited there for a little while, and then the all-too-familiar P.A. system rang out. "Free for all. Ness, Lucas."

"All right, let's go."

Ness and Lucas stepped up to the transport tubes and went inside. After being drawn out into wires and hearing "Ness versus Lucas. Five stock. Stage: final destination", they landed on a single, blue platform. Around them, what appeared to be outer space zoomed past.

The crowd was there again, shouting and screaming as usual. Lucas felt nauseated.

"Three! Two! One! GO!"

Lucas stood there, rooted to the spot. For some reason, he expected Ness to rush up to him and start pummelling him. He put his hands over his ears and closed his eyes.

Instead, a warm hand gripped him on the shoulder. "You're really hopeless, aren't you?" Ness asked.

Lucas looked up at Ness. The crowd was shouting, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

"The first thing you have to learn," Ness began, "is to ignore the crowd. Pretend they don't exist. They don't matter to you, and you don't matter to them."

Lucas nodded, and did his best to ignore the crowd. Ness made it sound so easy.

"Now, hit me," Ness instructed.

"What?"

"I want you to hit me," Ness repeated. "As hard as you can."

Lucas looked at him fearfully. "I- I can't."

"Why not? Hit me, or I won't be your friend. I'll leave you here to rot at the mercy of other brawlers."

Lucas shut his eyes and aimed a fist at Ness. He was reminded of that final fight he had with his brother, Claus. It hurts to hit someone you love.

The fist barely moved Ness, who giggled. "Don't tell me you saved your world using that kind of a move."

Lucas tried again, weakly kneading Ness in the chest.

"You're a physic like me, right?. Put some PSI into it, I know you can."

Lucas hadn't used his PSI in what felt like forever. Gathering up what concentration he had, he drew a wealth of energy into his fist and struck Ness directly over the heart.

Ness was launched back several meters before staggering back onto his feet.

"Ness! Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. Nice punch."

Ness walked up to Lucas. "Again, harder."

The two of them fought like that for nearly an hour. Lucas punched and kicked harder and harder, and each time Ness got right back up, smiling, not showing any signs of pain.

"Again," he'd say.

Lucas continued to gain confidence, and soon he was throwing attacks as if he was fighting Porky's army once again. Eventually,

Ness ran out of lives.

"GAME!"

The two were transported back to the recovery room. Lucas picked up five stars and looked at them guiltily.

"Here," he said, "you ought to take these."

Ness shook his head. "You're not allowed to. Give people stars, I mean. Those are yours. Besides, I already won a few this morning, so I'll be fine."

Lucas put the stars in his pocket. "Well, thanks." He gave Ness a great big hug.

"No problem," Ness said, looking away. Lucas didn't notice his face going red. Lucas' body was warm and soft, and suddenly Ness had a desire to grab hold of Lucas and kiss him all over.

"You okay?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Let's go." They exited the recovery room.

Most of the brawlers were gone now. Another fighting day was over. Ness and Lucas retreated to their room.

Lucas was tired and hungry. He would give so much just to have an omelette right now.

"Ness, I'm hungry. And tired."

"Well, there's no food in this world. Only stars."

Lucas looked down at his five stars disappointingly. He clutched them in his right hand, where PROPERTY OF NINTENDO was still written. Suddenly, he felt a warm feeling spread from his right hand throughout his entire body. His hunger was gone, and he felt completely alive and awake. He looked around with an unbelieving expression on his face. The feeling was more satisfying than omelettes. He felt as if he'd just taken a twelve hour nap and enjoyed breakfast in bed. There was something euphoric about those stars.

Ness looked at him and grinned. "Stars feel really good, don't they?"

Lucas nodded.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Btw, I hope you people have played Mother 3... (and EB) If not, you don't know what you're missing :)**


	4. Of Soap and Water

During the next few weeks, Lucas improved so quickly that Ness was afraid he might end up being the weaker one. Afraid to lose his status as the manlier one, Ness also doubled his efforts and soon the two were one of the top-tier brawlers. Getting stars didn't seem to be an immediate problem.

The two of them began to draw closer and closer. Soon enough, they were inseparable. Aside from fights, you couldn't see one without the other. And despite all of the competition and violence, the two managed to find some sort of happiness.

Despite this, Ness couldn't help but noticing that Lucas had somewhat of an aura. It was true, all the girls had already been eliminated, so Lucas was easily the cutest person in Brawl. And so, Ness found people gaping at Lucas and casting jealous gazes at himself for having such a cute friend.

"Ness, are you okay?"

They were in the atrium again. Ness was staring at a Wario and his friends Bowser and Ganondorf. The three of them were definitely eying at Lucas with an expression Ness wasn't too comfortable with.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm ok."

Lucas stared at Ness thoughtfully.

"No you're not."

"What?"

"See? You're distracted."

Ness scratched the back of his head. Wario and his friends weren't staring anymore.

Lucas leaned in closer to Ness. "Tell me about it."

"Tell you what?"

"What's on your mind."

Lucas stared intently into Ness' eyes. Ness gathered his thoughts and concentrated to block out the telepathic gaze.

The intercom: "Free for All. Pit, Lucario, Fox, Falco."

Lucas frowned. "You're closing up your mind."

He leaned in even closer, so that they were nose-to-nose. Ness couldn't help but get distracted by Lucas' touch, his scent, his eyes…

"You're worrying about me?"

"Uh… yeah, a little," Ness replied.

Lucas backed off so that they were at a comfortable distance again. "It's okay, I don't mind people staring at me."

"You don't?"

Lucas shook his head. "I just don't like that Wario person. He creeps me out."

Ness looked over to Wario, who was now chatting animatedly with his friends. Ness hated him too. There was something about his demeanour and personality that made him uncomfortable.

"Um… Ness?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking… I want to explore this place. Brawl, I mean."

Ness thought for a moment. "All you've seen are the rooms and the atrium, huh?"

Lucas nodded.

"To be honest," Ness continued, "It's not that interesting. There are a couple of floors, places to train, a few fields, stuff like that. Don't expect anything more glamorous that what you've already seen."

"That's okay."

The intercom: "Team battle. Bowser and Wario versus Marth and Ike."

Ness watched Wario get up and leave.

"Hey Ness?"

"Hmm?"

"Could we go exploring tonight? In the middle of the night. When everyone's sleeping."

"Oh… why? I guess we could…"

"Thanks. I just wanted to, um, get some fresh air. And see the stars. I feel like I haven't been outside in forever," Lucas answered shyly.

The day passed without anything significant happening. Lucas and Ness participated in a few battles, and gathered a large number of stars each. At night, they absorbed some of them, experiencing that all-too-familiar sensation of euphoria that accompanies it.

"Okay," Ness began, "Let's shower now, and then we'll take a quick nap, wake up at around 2, and go exploring."

"Alright," Lucas replied.

"I'll shower first, then," Ness said. He grabbed a change of clothes and stepped into the bathroom. The room was silent. Lucas could hear Ness undressing, turning on the taps, and then the sound of water splashing.

He felt uncomfortable, all alone. Outside, he could faintly hear the voices of other Brawlers in the hallway:

"…cute, Isn't he?"

"Yeah, and god knows when the last time we saw a lady was."

"Idiot, he's not a lady."

"Whatever. I could fuck just about anybody right now."

"Ewww! You're sick."

Lucas shifted uncomfortably on his bed, staring at the door, expecting it to burst open at any moment now. The voices seemed to be getting closer.

He got up and went over to the bathroom door. He could hear the sound of the water loudly now. It drowned out the sounds in the hallway, somewhat.

"Ness?" Lucas asked tentatively.

Ness' voice reverberated off the bathroom walls. "What is it?"

"Can I…" A pause. "Can I shower with you?"

Ness didn't answer. Instead, Lucas could hear him dropping something. A bottle of shampoo, perhaps.

Lucas was alarmed. "Ness, are you okay?"

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine. Why d'you want to shower with me?"

Lucas looked down at his feet. "I'm a little scared…"

A few seconds of silence. "Okay… you can come in, I guess."

Lucas brightened up, and rushed back to his bed to fetch a change of clothes. Then, he carefully opened the bathroom door and stepped inside.

The bathroom was warm, and steam was everywhere.

Ness poked his head out from behind the shower curtain. "…Well? What are you waiting for? Get in."

"Oh. Okay." Lucas carefully took off his clothes, folding them neatly on the ground. Then, he stepped inside. The shower was small enough already, and the two of them just managed to fit inside.

Ness was trying his best not to look at Lucas' body. Focus on cleaning, he told himself.

"Better now?" Ness asked.

"Yeah. Sorry about this."

"No no, it's okay. I know how scary this place can be."

Lucas smiled at Ness, who smiled back. By now, Ness had given into temptation and was looking down at Lucas' body inconspicuously. Lucas' skin was so pale and smooth… he wanted to…

Crap, Ness thought. He needed something to distract him. The last thing he wanted was his body to react.

"Lucas, I'll wash your back."

"Um, thanks."

Ness poured a generous amount of soap into his hands and lathered it. "Turn around." He then spread it over Lucas' shoulders, down his back, all the way down to…

Crap, Ness thought again.

They showered silently. Lucas returned the favour, washing Ness' back. When both completely clean, they turned off the taps and stepped back into the bathroom.

While drying each other off, Lucas said: "We should do that more often. Shower together, I mean."

Ness was drying off Lucas' hair. He tried hiding the fact that he really enjoyed showering with Lucas. "You think so?"

"It's more comforting, showering with a friend."

Ness nodded. He couldn't be sure what he was feeling was comfort, however.

They slipped into bed, and Ness set the alarm for 2a.m. It was only 9:00, which gave them about 5 hours of sleep. This was okay, because they still had a few stars left over to energize them when morning came.

"See you at two."

"Good night."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed it (I certainly did). Reviews encourage more frequent updates :) I'm not desperate.**


	5. Nighttime Excursion

The hallways were completely dark, save for a tiny night lamp that was expected to illuminate everything. The door to Lucas and Ness' room opened slowly, and the two of them stepped out into the darkness.

"Ness, where do we-," Lucas began, but Ness hushed him and put a finger on his lips. Then, he grabbed Lucas' hand and dragged him through the hallway.

Soon, they were back into the administrator's room.

"Okay, we can talk now. You don't want to wake anybody up in the middle of the night," Ness said.

"Oh… sorry."

"Well? Where d'you wanna go?"

Lucas shrugged.

"All right, I'll just show you everything, then." Ness took Lucas into the atrium. It was eerily dark. The usual buzz of fighting and sounds of the intercom were but to sleep. Lucas and Ness walked over to a side of the atrium that Lucas had never been to before. There was a great big arch labelled "To 5F". They stepped through.

They descended down a set of stone steps and landed on another floor. "The training facilities," Ness said. "People come here to get stronger and stuff like that."

Here, Ness led Lucas past gyms of all different types. There were weights, treadmills, ellipticals, and some equipment whose purpose Lucas couldn't understand.

"What's that one for?" Lucas asked. He was indicating a very peculiar machine.

"That one's for sword users. You practice slashing and stuff. We don't need to use it."

"Oh."

They took another flight of stairs and descended to a lower level. Here, there were large rooms that were completely empty. Bamboo mats paved the ground.

"For practice," Ness explained. "You can fight other people here, without getting stars. They used to be really popular, but only a few people use them now."

They took another flight of stairs.

On this floor, there were huge kitchens and rooms with long tables. "This is the kitchen and cafeteria," Ness said. "In the early days, people would cook and eat on their free time."

"Why don't they now?"

"Waste of time," Ness simply said.

Lucas looked at the empty stoves and unused tables. They had a lonely sort of aura about them.

They took a fourth flight of stairs. Here, there were only glass cases. Inside them were dozens and dozens of trophies. At the end of the hallway, there was a magnificent glass case with giant trophies inside. The giant trophies were…

"Defeated brawlers," Ness explained. "These people couldn't win enough stars, and were eliminated." He paused. "I knew some of them," he said quietly.

Lucas looked at the frozen statues. He could see three ladies, a small green dinosaur, a baby monkey, and a round creature, just to name a few. They were all in such grand poses. Like heroes.

"Let's move on," Ness said.

They descended another flight of stairs. The letters "1F" greeted them on the landing below.

A cold, refreshing breeze filled the room. There was the smell of grass and flowers. A wide arch opened up to reveal the outdoors beyond them.

"The main entrance," Ness said.

They stepped outside onto a huge grass field. Lucas couldn't help but to gape in awe at the size of it all. Everywhere, a sea of green, littered here and there with dots of pink and blue flowers. In the distance, an electric blue wall marked the boundaries of the Brawl World.

"And this is the outdoors," Ness said. "People used to come outside and play, have picnics and whatnot. But once again…"

"They don't have time for that anymore," Lucas suggested.

"Yup, you guessed it."

That's a sad idea, Lucas thought.

Ness and Lucas wandered out onto the grassy field and found a nice spot somewhere in the middle. They sat down. When Lucas turned around to face the direction from which they came, his jaw dropped again.

The mansion – no, the castle that they lived in – was huge. Its high gray walls and many facets glimmered in the starlight. It looked altogether beautiful and terrible. Lucas was reminded of Osohe Castle, only it was much, much larger. Perhaps as large as New Pork City.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Ness said, eyeing Lucas' expression.

"…yeah," he breathed.

Ness lay down on the grass and stared at the stars. Lucas followed suit, lying down beside Ness.

"It's been a while," Ness began, "since I last sat out here."

"Really? But it's so nice."

"It dosen't matter. No one wants to waste their time out here, just like how no one wants to do anything but fight. That's why half the building is empty all the time."

"That's terrible!"

"I'm glad you think that way, too."

They stared at the starry night sky for a while. The night air was cold but gentle.

Ness heard a gentle sob coming from his side.

"Lucas?"

Lucas was holding his forearm over his eyes, so that no one could see his wet eyes.

"I wanna go home. Ness, I wanna go home. I don't like it here." He kept rubbing his eyes.

"You can't… you can't leave this place. Tabuu won't let you."

Lucas removed his arm from his eyes. He looked at his right hand.

PROPERTY OF NINTENDO.

"Let's escape, then. Ness… let's run away."

"You can't. People have tried. No one's actually escaped. They've died trying."

"So we're stuck here. So we're stuck in this hell-hole. All alone." Lucas said morbidly.

"Well…," Ness said, "you have me." And then, because he felt like it was the appropriate thing to do, he pulled Lucas into a warm hug.

"Wha-? Ness?"

"Sorry," Ness said quickly, letting go.

"No, it's okay. I just thought, you remind me of… of someone." Lucas said.

"…oh."

Silence again: the sort of silence that exists in a peaceful moment, when words do not need to be exchanged.

Eventually, a part of the horizon began to glow, ever so faintly.

"Ness?" Lucas asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Starting tomorrow, let's come out here every day."

"Okay."

"And let's use the kitchen to cook food that we can actually eat."

Ness studied Lucas suspiciously. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're all happy again."

"Oh." Lucas looked at his toes bashfully. "I just thought… since we're stuck here, we might as well have some fun, right?"

Ness couldn't deny that. Maybe things would be alright after all, he thought. They still had each other.

They returned to their room before morning, and absorbed a few stars to replenish their energy. Then, they prepared themselves for yet another day of fighting.

When they reached the atrium, however, they were surprised to see everyone crowded around one of the big screens.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"Dunno."

They rushed over to see what the fuss was about. On the big screen was Tabuu.

"I am," he began, in that mystical voice of his, "proud to announce that only half of you are left. Half of you have survived the brawls and battles waged against one another. You are… the stronger half."

The crowd was silent, except for the occasional shuffle of feet.

"Unfortunately… the eighteen of you are so strong, none of you are weak enough to be eliminated easily. Thus, to speed things up a bit, I am reducing the amount of stars awarded for each battle. Two kills gets you one star. That is all. Good luck."

Lucas looked at Ness. "Now what?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hate coming up with chapter names. Hope you enjoyed. Feedback is lovely :3 ... it increases my writing-morale-thing-whatever.**


	6. Divided by Two

**A/N: This story is going to get very dark and M-rated from here. If you don't like it, stop reading now.  
><strong>

**Warning: rape, shota, lemons. **

* * *

><p>Another day of fighting passed. Sure enough, by the end of the day, Ness only won three stars. Lucas had one. They looked at their winnings like children braving through a famine.<p>

Ness looked at Lucas' forlorn expression. "Well… it could be worse," he mused.

"I guess so."

They absorbed their stars. Lucas finished his star with a cold, empty hunger still lingering in his body. One simply wasn't enough.

"D'you still wanna go outside and stuff?" Ness asked.

"Of course!" Lucas wasn't willing to give up his plan to have fun. "Let's go."

Ness followed Lucas into the atrium, and then down five flights of stairs, out onto the field. When they stepped out onto the grassy plains, Lucas turned around to face Ness.

"Umm, Ness?"

"What is it?"

Lucas' previous determination had completely evaporated. He looked exhausted and beaten. "Actually, I'm kind of tired now. Can we go back?"

Ness stared at him. "I thought you really wanted to go outside."

"I did… but…" He slumped down on the grass. "Now I don't feel like doing anything."

Ness lay down beside Lucas, and they stared at the sky. They stayed there, silently, watching the clouds drift pass.

"It's cold," Lucas finally said.

"What?" They air was warm and they were both bathing in the sun.

"It's cold, Ness."

"You didn't get enough stars. Just try and rest. You'll win more fights tomorrow."

"So cold."

"Want me to get you food? We can use those kitchens that nobody uses."

"Nah."

Ness stared at Lucas. He was curled up in a fetal position. He looked pale. Ness grabbed his hand. It was freezing.

"Lucas! You're cold!"

"Isn't that what I just said?" He retorted quietly.

Ness didn't know what to say. The Lucas he was familiar with wasn't this mean or bitter. He looked cold and lonely, like someone had forcibly removed his soul.

Ness didn't know what could have possibly been going on in his own mind at that point, but he chose that moment to blurt out what he had been keeping a secret since he first met the blonde boy.

"Lucas, I love you."

"What? What do you-"

His sentence couldn't be finished because Ness grabbed Lucas' shoulders and pulled him into a kiss, mashing their lips together. Lucas began squirming, but Ness didn't let go. It wasn't until Lucas forcefully shoved Ness off of him that he came to his senses.

"Eww! N-ness, that was gross!" Lucas said, wiping off his lips with his sleeve.

All colour had drained from Ness' face. Things did not go as planned at all. "Lucas?"

"I'm s-sorry. I just can't. I'm leaving." Lucas got up and headed back into the castle, while Ness simply sat there on the grass, dumbfounded.

The two didn't talk for the rest of the day. Whenever Ness tried to open his mouth to speak, Lucas intentionally averted his gaze. They didn't shower together. They didn't play, read, or do anything else together, like they used to. When it came time for lights out, Ness' "Good night, Lucas" did not receive a reply.

It wasn't until they were in the atrium the next morning that they spoke. They were sitting on the same couch. But instead of being shoulder to shoulder like they usually were, they were sitting at opposite ends, with a metre of empty space between them.

"Ness?"

Ness jumped, not used to the sound of Lucas' voice.

The intercom: "Team battle. Ganondorf and Bowser versus Fox and Falco."

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Lucas said quietly. "It's just… I felt really grumpy. I remembered what you said, about what happens when you don't get enough stars…"

"Oh..."

"I'm just really, really tired."

"Don't worry, you're an awesome fighter. Just relax and the stars will just roll right in."

"...thanks."

"And Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to do that…"

Lucas giggled. "It's okay. You really shocked me though. But it felt…"

The intercom: "Free for all. Wario, Lucas."

Lucas paled.

"What is it?" Ness asked.

"I… I don't like that person. Wario."

"Oh," Ness said, "you'll be fine. He's really weak."

"No… it's not that."

"I can five-stock him every time."

Lucas opened and closed his mouth. He decided not to tell Ness about his first encounter with the fat man. Instead, he got up and marched towards the transport tubes. Wario was already in his. He was smiling at Lucas. A wide, nasty smile that showed all his front teeth.

"Good luck!" Ness called.

The feeling of being drawn into wire. Space and time flying past. Lucas could feel his heart beating in his chest. All of a sudden, he wished Ness was beside him again.

The voice in his ear: "Lucas versus Wario. Five stock. Stage: New Pork City."

They landed on a stage that was all too familiar to Lucas. He'd been here before. It was New Pork City. Even though the city was evil, Lucas felt strangely at home. He felt something warm in his heart. Ness was right. If he tried, Wario definitely couldn't beat him.

The Wario in question was currently standing on a ledge. "Yoo-hoo!" he called. "I'm over here, sweetie."

Lucas jumped, gathered a wealth of PSI in his hands, and struck Wario in the chest. Then, a combo: fire, fire, kick, spike, grab, and throw. Knock out. One stock down and Lucas hadn't even taken a hit.

Wario re-materialized on a floating platform. "You're good, kid!" he called out. "Really good."

Lucas spun around. Whatever, he thought. Another chain of combos, and he was out again. Man, am I really gonna five-stock him? Lucas thought. After the third kill, Lucas began to suspect that Wario was actually enjoying himself.

"Harder!" he would bellow out at Lucas' punches. "Harder!"

So Lucas punched harder, out of both aggression and fear. Wario was launched off the platform for the fifth time.

GAME!

When they returned to the recovery room, Wario was laughing loudly. Lucas tried to ignore him, heading for the receptacle to pick up his stars. He took them out. Three stars. He headed for the door, but Wario grabbed his hand.

"Where d'you think you're going, kid? We're not done yet."

/

Ness was waiting in the atrium. He was glad that Lucas and him were on good terms again. Smiling at the thought, he decided to lie down on the sofa and wait to be called to a fight. Unfortunately, he wasn't. Many fights were called, and brawlers left and returned to the stadium. Almost an hour passed. Strange, Ness thought. Lucas should be back by now.

/

Lucas was pinned to the wall in the recovery room. He was in one of the stalls. His arms were held above his head. His eyes were wet. He was naked. His clothes were thrown hastily into a corner.

"Please…" Lucas begged. "Please… don't."

Wario wasn't listening. He was running his mouth and nose up and down Lucas' pale, soft chest, leaving streaks of snot and saliva. "Mmm," he breathed, "you smell really good."

Lucas closed his eyes and shuddered. "I… I'm sorry, okay? Stop!"

Wario frowned. "Seriously, shut the fuck up." He grabbed Lucas' shirt and fashioned a gag. He stuffed it into Lucas' mouth. Then, he took Lucas' belt and used it to tie his hands together.

"Nnn! Mmm!"

"Much better." Wario turned Lucas around and begin slobbering over his back and his butt, leaving saliva there, too. He stuck his tongue between the cheeks of Lucas' butt and began licking.

/

In the Atrium, Ness was beginning to worry. A normal five stock game should not take this long. Especially against a weakling like Wario. He walked over to the recovery room door. He saw Falco and Fox step out.

"Hey, Fox!"

"Yeah?"

"Have you… have you seen Lucas?"

"Your boyfriend? Nope."

Falco whispered something into Fox's ear and they both walked away, laughing.

/

Back in the stall, Wario was busy trying to remove his pants while holding Lucas to the wall with one hand. Once he had them removed, he turned Lucas around and took out the gag. He lowered Lucas' head to his hips.

"Suck it," he said. "Bite and I'll kill you."

So Lucas began sucking, tears rolling down his cheeks at the thought of what he was doing. Very soon, Wario began to breathe heavily until he was panting loudly. "Oh…yeah…," he said. Lucas shut his eyes. A few more back and forth movements of his head, and Wario exploded into Lucas' mouth. Lucas removed his head and let the sticky, white fluid drizzle out of his mouth and onto his chin, his chest, and the floor.

Is it over? Lucas thought.

At that moment, the stall door opened and Ganondorf stepped in. The space went from cramped to more cramped.

"Aw," Ganondorf said, "you messed him up already."

"Shut up, loser. I got him in the first place."

"Whatever."

Ganondorf removed his own pants and grabbed Lucas' hair. He pulled Lucas' head down to his torso and instructed him. Lucas began sucking, and before long Ganondorf was moaning loudly. He tried removing his face before Ganondorf came, so that he wouldn't taste that nasty fluid again. Instead, his face and hair got covered in a sticky, white mess.

Ganondorf and Wario passed Lucas back and forth between them like a rag doll, experimenting with different ways to pleasure themselves. They took Lucas in the butt. They used his hands. They made him go on all fours so that both of them could have him at the same time. Eventually, when they had their fun, they dropped Lucas on the ground and left.

Before leaving, Wario grabbed Lucas' hair and whispered into his ear: "You know why I let you win? I want you to stay alive for more. Thanks for the great time, honeybunch."

/

Ness was sitting on a sofa, his knees drawn up to his chest. It'd been more than two hours now. He still hadn't been called to any fights. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around. It was Wario.

"Your – ah- boyfriend… he feels really good. I'm jealous." And he walked away laughing heartily.

"YOU BASTARD!" Ness called out. "YOU BASTARD, WHAT DID YOU DO?" He ran towards the door to the recovery room. He yanked it open. He searched everywhere.

"Lucas? Lucas!" He found him in one of the changing stalls. Lucas was lying there like a broken toy on the floor. He was naked. A sickening smell hung inside the stall. There was cum all over his body: in his hair, in his mouth, on his chest, leaking out of his bottom…

"Oh god. Lucas!" Ness knelt down beside him, and helped him to sit up. Lucas' face was dazed and expressionless. There were streaks of tears running out of the corners of his eyes. Ness grabbed his hands, which were wet and sticky. He put Lucas' arm around his neck and lifted him up.

"Oh shit, shit." Ness could feel tears forming in his eyes.

He carried Lucas into the shower room, all the while muttering "I won't forgive them. I won't forgive them."

He turned on some hot water and removed his clothes. With a sponge, he wiped the sticky cum off of Lucas body. He put his fingers into Lucas' butt and dragged out strings of white fluid. He used soap and shampoo twice. When Lucas was as clean as Ness could get him, he turned off the water and discovered that Lucas was crying. Tears were flowing from his eyes, mingling with bathwater. Ness drew Lucas into an embrace.

"It's okay," Ness whispered.

"I w-wanna go home," Lucas stammered between sobs. They put their clothes back on. Before leaving the recovery room, Lucas grabbed his three stars and shoved them hastily into his pocket.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm so sorry, Lucas. Hope you enjoyed the nasty turn of events. **


	7. To Insanity

Lucas dosen't say or do much anymore. He spends most of his time lying in bed, but doesn't sleep.

At first, Ness thought that everything would be alright. The day following those traumatizing events was a weekend, meaning that Lucas would have two days to recuperate. Ness tried talking to him, to try and comfort him, but all he got in response were incoherent mumbles.

Lucas had become an emotional wreck. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see were flashes of his recent and very vivid memory. Wario's leering face. His teeth. His breath. His smell. The three stars he took that night had removed all traces of what the fat man and his companion had done to him, but he could still feel them. The feeling of a person inside of him. It tormented Lucas into insomnia.

He also couldn't bring himself to face Ness. What did Ness think, Lucas thought, when he saw him like that, lying on the ground? He was both embarrassed and ashamed, and did his best to avoid the other boy. Whenever Ness tried to talk to him, Lucas would retreat to the bathroom, sit on the toilet seat, and cry as silently as possible. He would come back out an hour later. At night, when Lucas couldn't sleep, he would sneak out of the dorm and wander around aimlessly. He usually ended up outside on the grass, where he managed to find some peace under the starlight.

But even there, he was reminded of Ness' confession. "I love you," he had said. And then the kiss. That feeling of tongue and saliva. It reminded him of Wario, only much gentler and softer. Wario. His tongue and saliva. Lucas couldn't sleep on the grass anymore.

Saturday passed. Lucas could barely tell if he was asleep or awake anymore. He couldn't tell if he was even alive. Maybe I'm not alive, he thought. Maybe I should see if I'm alive or not. He conjured a ball of fire in his hands, and aimed it at himself.

"LUCAS! What are you doing?" It was Ness.

He grabbed Lucas' hand, and the fire disappeared. Ness' hand was warm and dry. Lucas' hand was cold and clammy. Lucas pulled his hand away and retreated to the bathroom without another word.

Come Monday, Lucas was completely depressed, shrouded in an aura of despair. His hair was messy and unkempt. His skin was losing colour with no indication as to when it would ever return. Dark circles formed under his eyes. He lay in bed, eyes wide open, hoping by some miracle that sleep would come.

"Lucas."

"..."

"Lucas, get up. We have to fight today."

Lucas ignored him, and curled up tighter under the covers.

"Lucas!"

"I'm tired. Leave me alone."

Ness tried tugging on the bed covers. "You've been in there all weekend, now-"

"I said I'm tired!"

Ness let go, disheartened. He was hoping for an opportunity to humour Lucas, or at least have a conversation that lasted more than fifteen seconds. Giving up, Ness changed into his day clothes, washed and brushed, and took one last look at Lucas before opening the door and heading out.

"Good-bye," he said, quietly.

For the first time since Lucas' arrival, Ness ventured to the atrium alone. He picked a sofa and sat down. This strange feeling, of not having the blonde boy beside him, reminded Ness of his first days in Brawl. He had been completely alone. There was no one with anything in common with him. Everyone seemed to have already have a friend or two from the same world.

The atrium was lively then. People played for sport, for friendly competition. There were a lot of people, more than thirty. They chatted and laughed lively.

Looking around, Ness realized exactly how gloomy the place has become. The original number had dwindled down to eighteen right before Tabuu's announcement last week. Now, Ness can only count eleven. Twelve, if including Lucas. They all wear evil and serious expressions. And they play for survival.

The intercom: "Free for all. Fox, Ike, Link, Ness."

Ness got up and headed for the transport tubes, walking like a boy sentenced to death. All of a sudden, he didn't feel like fighting anymore. Every time he fights, he thinks of Lucas. He thinks of how the kid hated the very idea of being forced to fight. He would cling to Ness like a child, cowering from all the violence. If there was one person that didn't deserve all the shit of this godforsaken place, Ness thought, it was Lucas.

Drawn into wire. Space and time. The emotionless voice called out the rules. It's four stock, on that stage with the spaceship. Ness didn't really care. He could only think of Lucas, and his sad, cute face.

GAME!

Without realizing it, Ness made eight kills, or four stars. He walked out of the recovery room quickly. He didn't want to see the stall where he found Lucas, lying on the ground.

They day crawled past slowly. When Ness returned to the dorm, carrying more stars than he needed, Lucas was in the same spot as this morning.

Lucas got up, walked into the bathroom, and shut the door without saying anything or making eye contact.

Ness walked over to his own bed, and fell down face first into his pillow. Just before he started to suffocate, he sat up, and took every single one of the stars he collected. An overdose, if such a thing could exist with stars.

The next moment, he was drowning in euphoria. The stars filled him with a warm pleasure that spread to the tips of his body. Feeling completely awake and drunk with confidence, Ness decided to confront Lucas.

Three knocks on the bathroom door. No response.

"Lucas?"

Still no response.

"Lucas, open up."

"...Ness..."

"We need to talk."

"..."

Ness put his forehead against the door with a thump.

"Please...?"

There were the sounds of footsteps, and then the door opened. Ness and Lucas looked at each other, face to face. Ness reached out to grab Lucas' hand, but...

"Don't touch me!" Lucas recoiled back.

Ness stared, frozen. "Sorry..."

"No, I should be sorry," Lucas replied. He sat back down on the toilet and tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't. He broke out into tears.

"Lucas..." Ness crouched down beside him, making sure not to touch him. "You can't go on like this. If you don't fight, you'll die."

"So lemme die," Lucas replied between sobs.

"No."

"W-why not? It doesn't matter, does it? I'll die eventually."

"That's...that's not..."

"You know... you know I'm right. What's the point of even fighting anymore?"

Lucas continued sobbing.

"If you die, I'll be all alone," Ness said.

Lucas looked up, but didn't say anything.

"If you die...," Ness continued, "Well... I'll have lost the only friend I ever made in this world." Ness said quietly.

"..."

Lucas stopped sobbing. He wiped his tears on his sleeve.

"I can still feel him there," Lucas said, in a whisper.

"What?"

"I can still feel him. Them. Inside of me. In my mouth. In my..."

Lucas gulped.

"Even though... even though the stars healed...me, they won't make me forget... forget..."

Ness looked at Lucas intently.

"I... I can make you forget all about them," he said.

And with that, Ness cupped Lucas' cheeks in his hands, and pulled him into a kiss. This time, however, he wasn't shoved away. Instead, Lucas sank himself deeper into Ness' mouth. They stayed there until both out of breath. When Ness pulled away, a little colour had returned to Lucas' face, making it rosy again.

Ness couldn't resist a giggle, even if it was a sad one. "You're so cute," he said. And then he kissed him again.

"..."

The afternoon passed in silence. Lucas didn't know what to think anymore. Maybe he did love Ness. It wasn't that disgusting anymore, Lucas thought. Lucas couldn't taste Wario on his lips anymore. He tasted Ness there.

Then, while thinking about the black-haired boy, Lucas feel into an undisturbed sleep for the first time in what felt like years.

It was already nighttime when Lucas woke up. He felt refreshed, even a little happy. Ness was already asleep.

"Ness?" Lucas called out. No response. Lucas walked over to Ness' bed and shook his covers.

"What is it?" Ness mumbled.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Lucas asked, looking at anywhere except Ness and blushing.

Ness also looked away. "Um, sure."

Lucas' face lit up. He slipped into Ness' bed and snuggled right up against him. Ness replied by brushing a hand over Lucas' smooth cheek.

"Hey Ness, remember when you asked if I'd be your friend?"

Ness nodded slowly. "Yeah... what about it?"

Lucas moved closer, so that their noses were almost touching. "Nothing," he replied.

And for that fleeting moment, it seemed that everything would be alright.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's the last chapter, folks. **

**Just kidding, duh. This is far from over. Updates might slow down though... school starts next week. Reviews are ALWAYS helpful :3 Bye~!**


	8. Just Married

Lucas woke up the next morning to the sound and feeling and sound of Ness' breath against his ear. The sun was shining brilliantly into the room. It was quiet.

Lucas felt at peace. Here he was, lying comfortably in bed, holding hands with someone not even from the same time or place as himself. He looked at Ness' sleeping face. There was something reassuring about him that made Lucas feel right at home. It was like they'd known each other since childhood.

_Ness' lips look so cute_, Lucas thought. A month ago he would have been against the very thought of kissing another boy. But after everything that'd happened, it became hard to tell right from wrong. Lucas leaned in closer, so that their faces were less than an inch apart. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth slightly.

"Lucas?"

Lucas jumped back and looked away nervously, hoping that Ness wouldn't notice his attempted kiss.

"G-good morning!"

Ness yawned widely and blinked. "What time is it?"

About a half hour later, Ness and Lucas were making their way back to the atrium. Lucas seemed happier than usual: there was a slight spring in his step. As they approached the atrium doors, however, Lucas' happy aura vanished. He hunched his shoulders and grabbed Ness' arm, hiding behind him.

"Don't worry; I won't let anyone so much as touch you."

The atrium doors opened and they stepped inside. A few brawlers whispered secretively to each other as Ness and Lucas were finding a place to sit.

"Things are getting weird, aren't they?" Lucas said, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah. Yeah they are," Ness replied distractedly.

They sat down.

The intercom: "Free for all. Samus, Ike, Bowser, Fox."

They stayed there in silence. Lucas wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. Ness seemed slightly tense and unwilling to talk. So instead, Lucas scooted over beside Ness and grabbed his hand.

Ness raised his eyebrows. Lucas smiled mischievously and rested his head on Ness' shoulder.

Then, a gruff singing voice started behind them, getting closer and louder in a crescendo. It was singing the tune of "wedding march":

"DUN, DUN- DUNDUN. DUN, DUN- DUNDUN."

Lucas let go of Ness, who spun around quickly. Wario was creeping up on the two of them, marching slowly and serenely. Ness narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

"What do you want?"

Wario stopped, looked at Ness, then at Lucas, and then back to Ness again.

"Oh! My apologies, Mr. Groom," he said with a slight bow, "I was just here to congratulate you on taking Mrs. Bride's hand in marriage." He indicated Lucas with a grin.

Ness tried to get up, but Lucas held his arm. "Don't," he whispered.

"Fuck off," Ness spat.

Wario completely disregarded him and sat down on the sofa.

"Well? When's the honeymoon? Why haven't you picked out a ring yet?"

Ness didn't answer.

Wario leaned in and whispered, "Are you two gonna – y'know -," he made a hole with his left hand and stuck his right index finger inside. "Do it?"

Ness got up, grabbed Lucas by the hand, and relocated to another sofa. This one was only large enough for the two of them.

With nowhere to sit, Wario stood behind the sofa and rested his elbows on the backrest casually. "Aw, don't run away. I'm just jealous of what a good partner you have," he said with mock sadness. "Right, Lucas?"

Lucas looked away. He was paler than before.

Wario turned back to Ness. "Well, if you haven't already done it, you should know that Lucas is pretty amazing. Possibly better than most girls. I wonder if it felt good for him, too-"

Ness grabbed Wario with a charge of PSI and threw him ten feet into the air. He landed on the other side of the atrium. Before he could get up, Ness was right next to him, hands at the ready.

"Ness!" Lucas protested.

Ness ignored him. "PK Fire!"

Wario was engulfed in a pillar of fire. Other brawlers were circling around now; interested to see who would start a fight off-stage.

"Stop it! You'll get in trouble!"

As soon as the fire was extinguished, Ness drew out his Gutsy bat and struck Wario in the stomach, who stumbled backwards. And then:

"PK Thunder!"

Ness went into a meditative state, his mind controlling the ball of thunder that appeared over his head. He looped it around, ready to strike himself, when suddenly something swirled around him, tying his arms and feet together. The same thing happened to Wario. Bright blue bands of light held their hands together, like handcuffs.

The atrium lit up with an all-too-familiar glow of blue light. Tabuu. Everyone fell silent and backed off a few steps from the fight to ensure their innocence.

"There will be no fighting in the atrium," the being spoke. He landed between Wario and Ness, who were both struggling against the bonds. "Well? Who started this?"

The brawlers broke out into a hubbub, pointing at Ness accusingly. Lucas tried raising his voice in protest, but it was useless. No one paid the slightest attention to him.

"Very well," Tabuu continued. He raised his hand, and the bonds restricting Wario broke. He fell down on all fours, still panting from the damage Ness had done. His hair and moustache were singed, and a violet bruise was visible on his exposed stomach.

"You." Tabuu raised his hand and lifted Ness into the air. "You're coming with me. You'll be disciplined, of course." And he took Ness, who was still struggling, away without another word.

The brawlers dispersed. Lucas stood there, dumbfounded. He was all alone again, without the slightest clue as to what he should do next. His could feel his eyes moisten.

_One lasting moment of peace_, he thought to himself. That's all I ask for.

The intercom: "Free for all. Marth, Meta Knight."

Brawlers exited and re-entered the atrium. Lucas had two fights. He lost both badly. Ness' name was never called or heard for the remainder of the day. When Lucas returned to his room, a gloomy coldness hung in the air. Without showering or brushing his teeth, he undressed and curled up into a ball in his bed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry bout the lack of updating m(_ _)m. It should improve from here on out. School is... grah D:**


	9. Clueless

It was dark. Lucas was back at that place again. The final needle was gone, except he wasn't the one who pulled it. He didn't know who did. The earth shook violently.

"What's going on?"

It was Kumatora. Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't. He found that he had no control over his own body. The earth began to break up. Cracks criss-crossed on the ground and expanded. The earth began to break up. The cracks grew into trenches, and then abysses. Lucas watched Boney fall in. And then Duster. And then Kumatora. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

Ness was there. Ness? What was Ness doing here?

Ness was standing shakily on a narrow tower of rock that was getting narrower by the second. He was crying.

"H-help" he croaked.

Lucas tried to reach out and grab him, but couldn't. He just stood there, expressionlessly.

The earth trembled again, and Ness fell off. He managed to grab the edge of the rock.

"Lucas…!"

He couldn't hold on much longer. Below Ness, the abyss was orange with lava and molten earth. Lucas couldn't move. Ness eventually exhausted all his energy, and fell.

"NESS!"

Lucas woke up drenched in sweat and panting heavily. It was barely light out. He looked at the clock. 06:13. The room was completely silent.

_It was just a dream,_ Lucas thought. _Just a jumble of thoughts and stuff. It has no meaning, right?_

After deciding that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, Lucas got up and took a cold shower. He hoped that the freezing water would bring him to his senses. It ended up making him feel cold and lonely.

He stepped back into the room and surveyed it gloomily. All of Ness' belongings were still there. He walked over to Ness' messy bed and crawled under the sheets. They still smelled like Ness. At the foot of the bed, his clothes were piled up in small heaps, some of it spilling onto the floor. His hat was still there. Lucas took the hat and tried it on. It was a bit too large and couldn't fit the tuft of stubborn hair at the top of his head.

Realizing that he might never see Ness again, he took the hat and hid it under his pillow. _No, no I'll definetly see Ness again. For sure._

Lucas left his dorm at half-past six. He started meandering through the corridors, with no real destination in mind. Perhaps a stroll would take his mind off things.

His legs took him to the handsomely furnished room that he was all too familiar with. And, working at his desk as usual, was the administrator.

"Ah- Lucas." He said, looking up and smiling. "Good morning."

Lucas opened his mouth, and then closed it shut again. He opened his mouth.

"…Ness."

"I'm sorry?"

"Ness. Where is he? What's happened to him? When will I see him again?"

"Ah… yes, I heard about yesterday's incident. It was unfortunate, what happened. But you know we don't tolerate fighting off-stage."

The administrator stopped what he was doing and took off his spectacles, setting them down on his desk.

"What happened to Ness?" Lucas demanded.

"Lucas… when Tabu-" he stopped. "When his majesty means to discipline someone, they… they almost never come back."

It took a moment for that to register in Lucas' brain. After a few moments, his knees gave out and he started sobbing uncontrollably.

"But… why? We just… we never even…"

"That's just the way things are."

Lucas was crying in earnest now.

The administrator cleared his throat. "You have to realize that this was bound to happen someday. One of you – or both of you – would eventually get eliminated."

"…"

"Maybe it was better that this happened. Before the two of you became so attached."

"…no. I d-don't care. It-… I…"

Lucas took a gulp, and tried to regain his composure.

"If Ness is gone… then… nothing, nothing…"

"Lucas, you're strong. You can win this, I know you can. You can defeat every one of those brawlers and come out victorious. A champion."

"NO! I don't want to! I don't care, I don't care anymore. I don't want to fight, I just… I just want to be with Ness, and he's gone, he's gone…"

"You don't want to fight? You don't want to win?"

Lucas shook his head and continued crying.

The administrator let out a quiet, angry "Tch." Lucas couldn't see it, but there was a fierce anger in the administrator's eyes.

"That's not good, now, is it? You have to fight."

"No!"

The administrator walked up to Lucas, who was now a collapsed heap on the floor. He grabbed Lucas' hair roughly. "Lucas! Come to your senses. Ness is gone, and you have to move along now!"

Lucas shook his head defiantly.

The administrator started laughing. A maniac's giggle at first, then a full out laugh. "So you want Ness, huh? Is Ness all you want? If I give you Ness back, you'll keep fighting and win, right?"

Lucas looked up, sad and confused.

The administrator smiled. His nice demeanour had returned. "Wait right here."

Lucas waited. And waited. The administrator returned in a few minutes, a few hours to Lucas.

"Step inside that room," The administrator ordered. Lucas did as he was told. The room was very familiar. It was the room that Lucas first stepped into when he arrived in this world. There was a blue light in the form of a butterfly.

Tabuu's voice echoed across the room. "The administrator tells me… that you refuse to fight. Is that true?"

"I'll… I'll fight if you give me Ness back." Lucas said bravely.

"Unfortunately, the Ness you know is already gone. As you know, we don't tolerate fighting off-stage."

"NO! IT WASN'T EVEN HIS FAULT, IT WAS WARIO, THAT STUPID, FAT-"

Tabuu raised a hand and Lucas fell silent. He couldn't talk. He yelled and screamed, but nothing came out of his mouth. He felt his throat. It seemed to be normal.

"I'm going to have to force you to listen. Now, it is required that all brawlers fight. Otherwise… it wouldn't be fair."

_What wouldn't be fair?_ Lucas tried to say. Only air came out of his lungs.

"That's why I'm going to return Ness to you, seeing as I am a powerful god that believes in justice. He'll be a little bit… different…. from the Ness you know, but I think you'll find he's just the same."

Tabuu raised his hand and Lucas could speak again.

"Different? What do you mean?"

"Goodbye." Tabuu vanished into thin air.

Suddenly, a blue light appeared in the middle of the room. It glowed brighter, and then expanded into the shape of a boy. Then the blue light subsided. There was Ness, in his striped shirt and hat. Something wasn't right, however. This Ness looked… healthier?

"Ness!" Lucas cried out, running forward to hug his friend.

But Ness sidestepped, taking out his bat to defend himself. "W-who are you?" he asked. "And where am I?"

"W-what? You're… It's me, Lucas!"

"Have we met before?"

Lucas was dumbfounded.

Ness narrowed his eyes, tracing his gaze over Lucas' face and body before deciding that he was trustworthy. He extended a hand to shake Lucas'. "I'm Ness. I'm from Onett, Eagleland."

Lucas opened his mouth. "I'm… I'm Lucas. Nowhere Islands." He took Ness' hand and shook it.

Ness smiled. He looked down at his right hand, where PROPERTY OF NINTENDO was written.

"So, Lucas, is it? Care to tell me what the heck is going on?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: These cold, Canadian winter nights are perfect for holing up in bed and writing :) Hot chocolate and marshmallows? Oh yes please. The days will just get colder. [/blog] Hoped you enjoyed, reviews and whatnot make me warm and fuzzy :3**


	10. Like Best Friends

Ness wasn't sure how it happened.

After defeating the hostile alien Giygas and safely returning back to human form, he definitely didn't have the appetite for any more adventure. At least not for this lifetime. It was about time he had a little peace and relaxation.

It goes without saying that he missed his own bed. After months of travelling abroad and living in hotels, one of the things Ness was looking forward to the most was plopping down on his bed in Onett. Unfortunately, he didn't get that chance. The moment he pulled a set of clean, warm covers over himself, he found his body being squeezed through space and time.

The next moment, he was standing in front of a blonde boy who claimed to know him. Ness had never seen him in his life. His name was Lucas.

"So, let me get this straight. I'm in a whole different world now."

"…yeah," Lucas replied.

"And I have to fight to stay alive."

"Pretty much," Lucas said gloomily.

"And… we're supposed to be best friends?"

Lucas stared at Ness. "Yeah," he said softly.

Ness frowned. "I don't believe you."

Lucas' heart sank. He felt his knees give out, and he crumpled into a heap on the floor, eyes beginning to get wet.

"No – I didn't mean it like that," Ness corrected himself. "I just- I just mean, like-" He felt terrible for making Lucas upset. "I just got here! One moment I'm in Onett, and the next thing I know, I'm here…"

Lucas stopped crying. "Yeah… I'm sorry." He wiped his eyes dry.

Ness extended a hand to help Lucas up. He took it. Suddenly, Lucas' eyes widened.

"Your stuff," Lucas said.

"What?"

"Your stuff! Your stuff is still in our dorm! It might help you remember, maybe…"

Lucas grabbed Ness hand dragged him out of the room.

The administrator spotted them. "All better, Lucas?"

Lucas didn't answer him.

"You still have to fight today, don't forget!" The administrator called out.

Lucas led Ness through the corridors of the dormitories, finally reaching their room. He yanked the door open and stepped inside.

Lucas let go of Ness' hand.

"Well?" Ness asked.

Ness' bed was empty. There was nothing on it. The bed was made. It did not look like it had a previous occupant

"…no." Lucas said.

"Is… is this our room, then?" Ness asked.

Lucas nodded. His head was pounding in his head.

"Fuck," he swore quietly, for the first time in his life.

/

They walked out of their room later that morning to head to the atrium. They passed a few brawlers. All of them gave Ness weird looks.

"Hey…" Ness said. "…is there something you forgot to tell me?"

"…sort of. I'll tell you later."

They reached the administrator's room. The well-dressed man got up when he spotted the two of them. "Ness, could I have a word with you? Just some … administrative issues."

"Sure," Ness said. "I'll catch up to you later," he said to Lucas.

Lucas left.

Lucas sat quietly in the atrium, trying to collect his thoughts. _What happened to Ness?_ he thought. _Is this the same Ness from before? The one I loved?_

His bubble of thought was burst by Wario, who jumped on the other end of Lucas' sofa, causing the entire piece of furniture to shake.

Wario's appearance was more disgusting than ever. His hair and skin were singed at random spots on his face. A couple of white bandages wound their way around his head and left arm. Nevertheless, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"So young…" he began.

Lucas looked at him and scowled. "What do you want?"

"So young, and already widowed," Wario continued in flowing poetry. "They say love is the solution to everything… yet your husband chose to descend down the path of…" he leaned in towards Lucas, leering. "…violence."

The P.A. system went off. Lucas didn't pay attention to it.

At that moment, Lucas felt something hot well up in his heart. It consumed him, and with the manliest demeanour, he said, "Wario, go fuck yourself."

Wario almost jumped back. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I seemed to have touched a nerve."

While saying that, the atrium doors opened and Ness stepped in. A few brawlers made urgent whispers. There was commotion.

"The hell?"

"He's still in? I thought Tabuu…"

Wario turned his head. Ness was walking straight towards him. "Holy sh-," he jumped up hastily, backing off.

"Hiya," Ness said. His unscathed skin and smiling face looked completely out of place in the atrium. He spotted Wario. "Friend of Lucas?"

Wario opened his mouth. "Ah! I, uh, wow, shit man, I don't even-"

The P.A. system went off. "Free for all. Meta Knight, Mr. Game and Watch."

"I… I gotta go! Later dudes."

And he scurried off, with a wide-eyed look of confusion and fear on his face.

Lucas was almost laughing. "Hey, Ness. What did the administrator want?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just some stuff. Told me about the place. Gave me my keys. By the way, who was that badly-burnt man?"

"His name is Wario. And he's… he…"

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks. _He what, exactly? He's our mortal enemy?_

Ness wasn't paying attention. He was looking thoughtfully around the atrium. Everywhere he looked, people turned their heads away, as if they had just been staring at Ness.

"I believe you," Ness finally said.

"Huh?"

"I believe you. About everything. About me being here before. It's just that…"

"Just what?"

The P.A. system: "Free for All. Wario, Ness."

Lucas almost jumped out of his seat.

"Oh my, did they just call me?"

"Y-yeah. You go over… over there. To those tubes. Good luck," Lucas said mechanically.

"Thanks!" Ness called back. He paced towards the transport tubes, where a frightened looking Wario was waiting.

/

A familiar sensation gripped Ness, pulling him into a line. A voice rang in his ears: "Ness versus Wario. Three stock. Hyrule Temple."

He materialized into unfamiliar scenery. He and Wario were high in the air. What appeared to be the ruins of a beautiful building encompassed them.

"THREE!"

Ness looked around, taking in a deep breath. He noticed that his opponent, Wario, seemed … anxious?

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

"GO!"

Ness didn't move. Wario assumed some sloppy defensive position that might've passed as a karate pose.

"Are you okay?" Ness called out.

"Don't touch me!"

"Ah! I… I wasn't going to."

"I'm sorry, alright? Please don't hurt me!"

"Hey look…" Ness tried to approach Wario, but he fled, making a few jumps and hiding behind a nearby structure.

"I- I don't want to hurt you, alright?" Ness explained, exasperated. "I just got here, I'm new, or at least I think I am, It's just… I just want you to teach me about fighting, okay?"

Wario stopped trembling and relaxed a bit. "Wait… you're new here?"

"That's right. Well, Lucas tells me otherwise, but I really don't know who to trust…"

"Huh," Wario moved closer. His mind was reeling through numerous hypotheses. "Do you… know me?"

Ness shrugged. "Today's my first time meeting you, I guess."

Wario stepped closer. He cleared his throat. He put on a sincere smile. "Ah… well, I don't think I introduced myself properly. My name is Wario." He extended a hand.

"I'm Ness."

/

Wario and Ness returned to the atrium laughing and talking animatedly. Ness spotted Lucas and waved. Lucas waved back, slowly.

"Hey Lucas, look, I've already made a new friend! He taught me how to fight and everything."

Lucas looked between Ness' cheerful face and Wario's false smile. "That's… that's nice," Lucas replied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the slow updating! m(_ _)m **


End file.
